Doctoral Programs - Education

DEGREE: DOCTOR OF EDUCATION (Ed.D.) - 63 hours
Early Childhood Specialization

The Doctor of Education degree is offered with specializations in Early Childhood Education, Educational Leadership-Public School, and Educational Leadership-Non-Public School. Course work toward the Superintendent Endorsement of the State of Illinois may also be taken within the Educational Leadership-Public School specialization

The Doctorate in Education is offered in partnership with Concordia University, Irvine, CA.

Academic Information

Transfer of Credit

All graduate work beyond the master's degree satisfactorily completed at a Concordia University System institution may be transferred toward meeting the requirements of the doctoral program to the extent that they satisfy specific course and/or experience requirements or electives for specific doctoral specializations.

Up to 12 semester hours of post-master's work at another regionally accredited institution may be accepted toward doctoral degree programs upon approval of the student's advisor and the Dean of the College of Education. Graduate courses transferred must have a grade of B or better and must have been earned no more than seven years prior to admission to the doctoral program. Credits for transfer may not have been applied to a previous degree.

Residency

There is no specific residency requirement for the doctoral program. Each student should consult with her/his faculty advisor to decide if a concentrated course of study would best meet the student's own academic and/or professional needs.

Time Limits

Completion of the doctorate is expected within seven years of the date of entrance into course work. Extensions on this time limit may be requested by the student through the advisor and are subject to approval by the Dean of the College of Education.

Applicants for the doctoral program who desire more information regarding specific course requirements, comprehensive examinations, portfolio, dissertation, etc., should consult the Doctoral Handbook.

Program Procedures for Doctoral Students

1. Advisor

Students will be assigned a faculty advisor by the Dean of the College of Education. It is strongly recommended that the student meet with his/her advisor before registering for courses to plan for appropriate coursework to be taken. It is important to make frequent contacts with the advisor, who will serve as a mentor and assist the student in an orderly progression from enrollment to graduation.

2. Satisfactory Progress

All students will be monitored for satisfactory academic progress at the following points: portfolio checkpoints, comprehensive examination, dissertation proposal defense and, dissertation defense. Students are considered to be making satisfactory progress if the grade point average is 3.00 or higher, all deficiencies have been removed, and appropriate progress is being made toward meeting the standards. Students not making satisfactory progress will be placed on academic probation.

3. Comprehensive Examination

Application for the exam occurs upon completion of at least forty-two hours of coursework with a minimum G.P.A. of 3.5, and in consultation with the faculty advisor. Please consult the Doctoral Program Handbook for specific procedures related to the comprehensive examination.

Exam Dates	Registration Deadline
October 16 & 17, 2007	July 20, 2007
February 19 & 20, 2008	November 2, 2007
June 17 & 18, 2008	March 21, 2008

4. Doctoral Candidacy

Doctoral candidacy occurs upon successful completion of the comprehensive examination. Students must have candidacy status before the dissertation proposal defense and before enrollment in dissertation hours (DISS 7990).

5. Capstone Experiences

There are two capstone experiences in the Doctoral program:

• A professional portfolio defense;
• The dissertation defense.

6. Dissertation

Students must complete dissertation research as approved by the dissertation committee. Once dissertation work is begun, candidates must be continuously enrolled until program completion. After the completion of the required nine semester hours of DISS-7990 candidates enroll in DISS-7991 to maintain continuous enrollment in the program. Please consult the Doctoral Program Handbook for specific procedures related to the dissertation.

7. Graduation

Candidates must apply for a graduation audit at least one semester prior to graduation. This form is available from the College of Education.

An "INTENT TO GRADUATE" form must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar at least one semester prior to the anticipated conferral of the degree. Deadlines for filing for graduation are listed on the "Intent To Graduate" form.

Program Components for the Doctor of Education Degree

(Students may begin their course work upon acceptance into the program.)

Doctoral Program Core (30 hours)

• Research and Statistics (9 hours)
• EDL-6105 Research Design
• EDL-6110 Quantitative Analysis
• EDL-6115 Qualitative Analysis
• Theology/Philosophy (6 hours)
• PHI-7000 Ways of Knowing
• Select One
• EDL-6300 Ethics of Leadership
  or
• THY-6400 Christian in Society (or other relevant course approved by advisor)
• Dissertation* (9 hours)
• DISS-7990 Dissertation
• DISS-7991 Dissertation Supervision (no credit)
• Foundation Courses – select two (6 hours)
• PSY-7400 Advanced Learning Theories
• EDU-7400 History and Culture of Education
• EDU-7890 Comprehensive Seminar

*Upon completion of the nine required hours of DISS 7990, candidates much maintain continuous enrollment with DISS 7991 until program completion.

Early Childhood Education Specialization (33 hours)

Select eight (8) courses from a minimum of four of the seven areas (24 hours)

• Child Growth and Development
• EDU-6130 Play Theory in Child Development and Education
• PSY-6500 Cognitive Development: Theory and Implication
• SOC-6110 Socialization Process
• PES-6400 Psychomotor Development in Early Childhood
• THY-6500 Moral, Ethical, and Spiritual Development of the Child
• Leadership and Advocacy
• EDL-6120 Supervision and Improvement of Instruction
• EDL-6220 School Organization and Human Resources
• EDL-6330 Advocacy of Children's Rights
• EDL-6500 Administration of Early Childhood Education Programs
• EDL-7210 Policy Formation and Governance
• EDU-6190 Practicum in Early Childhood Education
• Curriculum Implementation and Change
• EDL-6130 School Evaluation and Change
• EDU-6100 Development, Implementation and Evaluation of Early Childhood Curriculum
• EDU-6500 Curriculum Construction
• EDU-7100 Curriculum Theory and Design
• International and Comparative Education
• EDL-6440 History of Western Education
• EDU-6170 International Perspectives on ECE
• EDU-6410 Comparative Education
• Collaboration, Interagency and Interdisciplinary Relationships
• EDL-6220 School Organization and Human Resources
• EDL-6310 Schools, Parents and Community Relations
• EDU-6160 Parent Involvement in Early Childhood Education
• SOC-6300 Contemporary Family Patterns
• SOW-6200 Interagency and Interdisciplinary Collaboration
• Methodology and Appropriate Practices
• EDU-6115 Infant and Toddler Program
• EDU-6120 Kindergarten Programming
• EDU-6140 Resources and Strategies for Teaching Early Childhood Education
• EDU-6200 Beginning Reading Instruction
• EDU-6205 Language and Reading Theory
• EDU-6285 Seminar in Emergent Reading and Writing
• EDU-6310 Thematic Approaches to Children's Literature
• Assessment and Special Needs of Young Children
• EDL-6250 Special Education Law and Policy
• EDU-6105 Observation and Assessment of Young Children
• PSY-6025 Assessment Techniques
• PSY-6115 Counseling through the Expressive Arts
• SOW-6210 Specialized Services for Exceptional Children

Required Courses

• Field Experiences Requirements (both courses required)
  Generally, these courses are taken toward the end of the Doctoral course of study.
• EDU-7180 Field Work in Early Childhood Education
• EDU-7185 Field Work in Early Childhood Leadership
• Evaluation Research Requirements (select one)
• EDL-6130 School Evaluation and Change Processes
• SOC-6100 Methods of Evaluation Research

Portfolio

Portfolio preparation is infused throughout the program and is designed as an assessment of student progress toward meeting the professional standards appropriate to their specialization. Please consult the Doctoral Program handbook for specific procedures related to the portfolio.

Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive examination is a major step that leads to candidacy in the Doctoral Program. Successful completion of the Comprehensive Examination leads to doctoral candidacy. Please consult the Doctoral Program Handbook for specific procedures related to the comprehensive examination.

Dissertation

Students must complete dissertation research as approved by the dissertation committee. Once dissertation work is begun, candidates much be continuously enrolled until program completion. After the completion of the required nine semesters hours of DISS-1990 candidates enroll in DISS-7991 to maintain continuous enrollment in the program. Please consult the Doctoral Program Handbook for specific procedures related to the dissertation.